IT Spending is on the rise. According to Gartner IT spending will surpass $3.6 trillion in 2012. As an IT Services provider, the biggest question is where will the money be spent? Based on the forecast chart below 2013, I really like the fact that software is still out growing hardware. Honestly, I thought hardware would be even lower compared to software.

The biggest surprise is the IT Services. In a time where the Cloud dominates most of IT’s discussions, I personally would have thought we would see more spending in the IT Services Area. Although a significant growth over last year,Â (more than double) companies need to solidify their IT processes to ensure the investments made in infrastructure are working optimally. Many times IT organizations assume implementation of technology and project closure makes for a successful project.

What is Big Data without a process to manage it and extract the intelligence?

What is your infrastructure without a way to optimize its output or use of?Â

What is a cloud, if you are unable to meter it’s usage and understand the ROI?

The mind share of today’s elite IT professionals has never been so needed. In an economy like today where budgets are extremely tight and business cases need to be bulletproof, it is imperative to have the proper know how and guidance.Â To all my IT peers, don’t forget to include your “Trusted Advisor” when rolling out a new IT project. Whether it’s virtualizing, cloud adoption, virtual desktop deployment or any other. You need someone who has been there and done it to provide a best practice approach.

If you want to get a quick look at Gartner’s IT Spending Forecast Summary, Q2 2012 Update – visit http://bit.ly/sSjvSC